Acoustic device



Jan. 3, 1933. KOCH 1,893,143

ACOUSTIC DEVICE Filed Oct. 3, 1951 INVENTOR Patented Jan. 3, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY KOCH, OF JAMAICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO DICTOGRAPH PRODUCTS CO., INC., 01 NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE acousric nnvron Application filed October 3, 1931.

This invention relates to acoustic devices and more particularly to ear-phone receivers, and has for a general object the provision of such a device which can be comfortably retained. in the ear of the user without the use of an external support, which is adjustable to fit a variety of types and sizes of ears and can be manipulated to fit either the right or the left ear of the user.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of such a device having an adjustable member which can be readily mani ulated in a manner such that the receiver Wlll efficiently and comfortably fit and be securely retained in a plurality of different sizes and types of conchas of both right and left ears.

A further object of the invention is th provision of such a device having a readily deformable arm terminating in a portion adapted to engage the fleshy convolutions of the concha, the arm being angularly adjustable to adapt the receiver to either the right or the left concha of a plurality of sizes of ears and axially adjustable to insure a comfortable fit in a plurality of types of ears.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear herein-' after.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the ear-phone receiver of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the case member in which the receiver is inclosed.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a portion of; the ear piece to be mounted on thecase member depicted in Fig. 2, with parts in section.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevational view of the collar constituting the connection between Serial No. 566,678.

the member depicted in Fig. 3 and the case member depicted in Fig. 2, with parts in section.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the adjustable member constituting part of the ear piece.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the ear-phone receiver depicted in Fig. 1, with a plurality of positions of the adjustable member shown in dotted lines, and

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of the acoustic device of the present invention mounted on the left ear of a user.

Prior to the present invention, ear-phone receivers adapted for use as auricular devices for the aid of persons afllicted with defective hearing have been designed in a manner such that they will fit only the right or the left concha, but not both, of a limited number of diflferent types and sizes of ears. This is due to the fact that such devices are usually integrally formed or securely mounted with an offset projecting portion adapted to fit the external auditory meatus andamember designed to conform the general outline of the upper portion of the concha such that the latter will engage in the fleshy convolutions of the concha and retain the device in position. Thus such devices designed for the right'ear will not fit the left ear and since most ears differ materially in size and shape, an ear piece that mayadmirably fit one ear can not be comfortably used in the other ear or by any great number of persons.

In accordance with the present invention, an ear-phone receiver of this type .is provided which substantially eliminates the difficulties of the devices of the prior art and which is readily adjustable to comfortably fit either the right or the left concha of a plurality of types and sizes of cars.

Referring to the drawing, like numerals refer to like parts throughout. In Fig. 1 is shown'jan elevational view of the ear-phone receiver of the present invention, consisting of a receiver inclosed in a case member 10 on which is mounted an ear piece 11 comprising a projecting portion 12 adapted to fit the auditory external meatus and an adjustable member 13 adapted to engage the fleshy convolutions of the concha, a stud 14 is centrally mounted on this case member as shown in Fig. 2 and is provided with an auditory duct communicating with the inside of the case member 10. This stud is provided with an enlargement 15 which is preferably formed by an annular thickening of the stud as shown, but which may be provided by mounting an additional member on the stud to extend either entirely or partially of the circumference of the stud, or by a slot or groove formed in the external surface of the stud.

The projecting portion 12 is preferably molded integral with the base member 16 from any suitable material, such as, for example, bakelite or hard rubber, in a position such as to be offset from the axis of the latter as is shown in Fig. 3. This base member is provided with a recess 17 to receive a collar 18 which is secured to the base member .by any suitable means, preferably by molding the base member about the collar 18. The base member 16 and the projecting portion 12 are provided with an auditory duct 19 which communicates with the recess 17 such that it will terminate inside the collar 18.

The collar 18 is preferably made from any suitable metal and provided with an external flange 20 for a purpose to be explained later. An annular groove 21 is formed in the inner surface of the collar and a spring ring 22 is disposed within this groove to engage beyond the enlargement 15 on the stud 14. The collar 18 is of such a dimension that it will receive the stud 14 with the spring ring 22 engaging beyond the enlargement 15 1n such a manner as to allow relative rotation of the collar with respect to the stud with sufficient frictional engagement to maintain the ear piece in any'desired position relative to the casing member 10.

The adjustable member 13 comprises a metallic ring 23 preferably provided with an offset arm 24, preferably formed of readily deformable metal, terminating in a .button 25 to engage the fleshy convolutions of the concha. The rin 23 is additionally provided with spring ngers 26, to encircle collar 18 above its flange 20 so that the adjustable member 13 will be rotatably mounted on the collar 18 and on base member 16 with sutficient frictional engagement to maintain the former in any desired position relative to the latter.

In use, the adjustable member 13 is manipulated to a suitable position, such as, for example, that depicted at 27 in Fig. 6 which may be indicated on the base member 16 by any suitable mark. In such a position the ear piece is adapted to fit the concha of the right ear, the exact position shown being arbitrarily chosen since the ear piece is adapted to fit a plurality of sizes of ears.

To adapt 'the ear piece to an ear which is much larger than that which will comfortably receive the ear piece with the adjustable member in the position shown at 27, the adjustable member 13 is rotated further to the right, such as, for example, to the dotted position indicated at 27, thus increasing the distance between the button 25 and the projecting portion 12. For an ear having a smaller concha, the adjustable member 13 is with the right ear, the distance between the button 25 and the projecting portion 12 bein increased by rotating the adjustable member 13 to any desired position such as that indicated by the dotted lines at 28'.

Axial adjustment of the arm 24 relative to the portion 12 may be made by bending the former to alter the offset distance of the button 25 relative to the plane of'the ring 23 to obtain the desired adjustment. The cars of different persons not only differ in size in lateral contour but also in axial dimensions, that is, in the axial distance between the opening of the external auditory meatus or lower portion of the concha and the innermost surface of the upper portion of the concha. Such variations are readily accommodated by the bending of the arm 24 m the manner set forth above. This arm may also be bent to alter the distance between the button 25 and the axis of the ring 23 when it is desired to adapt the ear phone to an unusually large or smallear which can not be fit by an angular adjustment of the member 13.

The ear-phone receiver is mounted in the ear of the user in the manner shown 1n Fig. 7 with the projecting portion 12 fittmg into the external auditory meatus and the button 25 of the adjustable member 13 engaging the fleshy convolutions of the upper portion 29 of the concha. When so mounted the ear piece comfortably fits the convolutions of the ear with the adjustable member 13 serv1ng to retain it in position.

The ear piece 11 is preferably made angularly adjustable with respect to the casing member 10 so that the electrical conductors will hang down from the lower side of the casing member when the latter. is in pos1t1on in either the right or the left ear.

It is to be understood that the present invention can be practiced without departing from the scope thereof by using means other than those shown for mounting the ear piece 11 on the casing member 10 and for mounting the adjustable member 13 in the assembly so long as the adjustable features of the member 13 and the ear piece 11 are retained, and that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described.

. Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: I

1. In an ear-phone receiver, an adjustable ear piece comprising a member having a base provided with a projecting portion adapted to fit the external auditory meatus the axis of which is offset with respect to the axis of said base and a member mounted concentric with said base, said last mentioned member being angularly adjustable with respect to said baseand having an ofi'set arm adapted to fit into the fleshy convolutions of the concha.

2. In an ear-phone receiver, an adjustable ear piece comprising a member having a circular base provided on one side with an offset projecting portion adapted to fit the external auditory meatus and on the other side with a central projecting collar, said base and projecting portion being provided with an auditory duct terminating inside said collar,'a ring rotatably mounted on saidcollar, said ring having a member adapted to fitinto the fleshy convolutions of the concha.

3. An ear-phone receiver comprising a case member inclosing a receiver, a stud projecting from the face of said case member, said stud being provided with an auditory duct,

an ear piece member mounted on said stud, sald last mentloned member comprising a base having on one side a projecting portion adapted to fit the external auditory meatus and'means on the other side to engage said stud, said base and projecting portion being provided with an auditory duct communicating with the auditory duct in said stud, and means rotatably mounted on one of said members adapted to engage the fleshy convolutions of the concha to hold said ear-phone receiver in position. i

4. An ear-phone receiver, comprising a case member inclosing a receiver, a central stud projecting from the face of said case member, said stud being provided with an auditory duct, an ear piece member rotatably mounted on said stud, said last mentioned member comprising abase having on one side an oflset'projecting portion adapted tofit the external auditory meatus, and means on the other side adapted to engage said stud, said base and projecting portion being provided with an auditory duct communicating with the auditory duct in said stud, means rotatably mounted between said case member and said ear piece member, said last mentioned means having a projecting member adapted to engage the fleshy convolutions of the concha to hold the ear-phone receiver in position.

5. An ear-phone receiver comprising a case member inclosing a receiver, a central hollow stud projecting from the face of said case member, an external enlargement on said stud, a collar adapted to fit over said stud, means on said collar to engage beyond said enlargement, an ear piece base secured to said collar to be rotatably mounted on said case member, a projecting portion mounted on said base, said portionv being offset with respect to the axis of said collar and adapted to fit the external auditory meatus, said portion and said base being provided with an auditory duct terminating inside said collar, and a rin rotatably mounted on said collar, said ring having a projecting member adapted to engage the fleshy convolutions of the concha to hold said ear-phone receiver in position. v

6. An ear-phone receiver comprising a casing inclosing a receiver, an ear piece member having a base mounted concentric with said casing and a projecting portion adapted to fit the external auditory meatus the axis of which is offset with respect to the axis of the base, and a member mounted concentric with said casing and having a laterally extending portion adapted to fit into the fleshy convolutions of the concha, one of said. members being angularly adjustable with respect to said casing.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

HENRY KOCH, 

